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E-TOURIST VISA (ETV)

A tourist visa India is granted for exploring, recreation, and sightseeing and to meet your friends and relatives. E-Tourist Visa (ETV) allows eligible applicants of certain nationalities to visit India for recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives, short duration or casual business trips. UK nationals became eligible for ETV from 15th August 2015.

Many people misunderstood this concept, if you seek serious medical attention then apply for medical visa not for tourist Visa India.

The ETV is issued electronically allowing tourists and short term travelers to get an Indian visa quickly and easily on-line. An ETV is valid for single entry and a maximum stay in India of 30 days. Applicants can apply online no later than 4 days prior to departure for India, and no earlier than 34 days before the date of arrival in India. For example, applicants wishing to apply on 1st Sept can choose arrival date from 5th Sept to 4th Oct. Before travelling to India, applicants must have a valid Indian visa.

Successful applicants will receive tourist Visa India by e-mail within 3 working days from the date of submission. This must be printed and carried with the applicant with their valid passport upon their entry to India. The visa on arrival will be stamped in India after biometric information is taken at the airport.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an E-Tourist Visa (ETV), an applicant must meet the following requirements:-

Applicant should be citizen of one of the ‘eligible nations’.

The sole purpose of the visit should be recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives, short duration medical treatment or casual business visit.

Applicant’s passport should have at least six (6) months validity from the date of arrival in India and should have at least two (2) blanck pages for stamping by the Immigration Officer.

Applicant should have sufficient funds for their stay in India with return/onwards journey tickets from India.

The following applicants are not eligible for an E-Tourist Visa (ETV):

Applicant having Pakistani origin (i.e. parents or grandparents) or their spouse was born in (what is now) Pakistan or previously held Pakistani nationality is not eligible.

Applicant with Diplomatic/Official Passport Holders, International Travel Document and who does not have a separate passport is not eligible.

Entitlements

Successful applicants will be granted 30 days of stay in India and can undertake:

ETV is a single entry, non-extendable and non-convertible visa for a maximum stay of 30 days. Applicant who needs multiple entries on the same trip does not qualify for ETV. They need to apply for a Regular visa which normally allows multiple entries, and a stay of up to 90 days.

The Foreigner (Protected Areas) Order, 1958 requires foreigners, except a citizen of Bhutan, to obtain a Protected Area Permit (PAP) to visit certain areas in India. This requirement is in addition to getting an Indian visa. In order to get this permit, you must meet certain requirements. Such restriction is in place due to security reasons.

Currently, Protected & Restricted Areas are located in the following States: -

Whole of Arunachal Pradesh

Parts of Himachal Pradesh

Parts of Jammu & Kashmir

Whole of Manipur

Whole of Mizoram

Whole of Nagaland

Parts of Rajasthan

Whole of Sikkim (partly in Protected Area and partly in Restricted Area)

Parts of Uttarakhand

Andaman & Nicobar Islands - Entire Union Territory

Sikkim - Part of the State

ETV is not valid for visiting Protected/Restricted and Cantonment Areas.

Citizens of the following countries do not require visas to enter India (unless arriving from mainland China), and may remain in the country without any limit of stay (unless otherwise noted): Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal. Applicants possessing an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card or a Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Card are also exempt from visa obligations.

No, it is not possible to apply for an Indian visa at the airport. Eligible citizens travelling for leisure/tourism purposes have the option to apply for an Indian e-Visa visa online, before they depart for India, which will allow them to get biometric information taken at the airport and the visa stamped in the passport on arrival in India. However, it is very important to know that the Indian visa application must be submitted in advance of travel, and approved before you board a flight to India; the process normally takes 3 days and cannot be done on arrival in India.

Applicants can avail ETV if they are arriving at any airports – Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru (Bangalore), Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Tiruchirappalli, Trivandrum and Varanasi. However, they can take exit from any of the authorised Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) in India.

You cannot extend an Indian E-Visa and although confirmation of the visa is generated when the online application is made the visa itself is issued and starts when the applicant enters India via one of the airports listed so it is not possible to apply for an E-Visa from within India.

An ETV can only be applied online and you will need scanned copies of each of the following documents to upload to the online application form. Please prepare the required documents in advance to avoid any delays or having to start the application process over.

Once your visa application is approved, it will be sent to you by email. You must print a copy to carry with your passport and bring it along when you travel to India. We recommend that you print two copies and keep one with your records. When you arrive in India, you must have your eVisa with your passport. At the airport on arrival, your biometric information (scanned fingerprints) will be taken and the visa sticker will be stamped in your passport.

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Foreign Travel Advice : India

Visa Simple is a private immigration firm providing immigration advice & representation and is not affiliated with the High Commission of India. We offer comprehensive India immigration solutions to private individuals or corporate clients at tailor made prices. All decisions for granting a visa remain with the relevant High Commission of India. If you would like to prepare and submit your India visa application yourself you can do so by visiting the High Commission of India or VFS Global website.